Bendigo Advertiser letters to the editor

GRATEFUL: Bendigo South East College student Sam Hobbs, who graduated last week, and his mum Belinda Buso are full of praise for the school's care and commitment.

High praise for high school

My son Sam is visually impaired, has Asperger’s and suffers from anxiety. He has been attending Bendigo South East College for four years now, from year 7 up to year 10. Last week he graduated.

I cannot thank BSE enough for their continuous support and their commitment to Sam and his education.

There are a few teachers that I would personally like to mention and they are: principal Ernie Fleming, Miss Nyall, Mr Edwards, Mr Atkins and a special thank you to Sarah Dennis.

I would also like to express my deepest heartfelt appreciation to all the other teachers and staff he has come across while attending the school.

If it wasn’t for their dedication and how they approached Sam’s disabilities, I believe Sam would not have excelled that way he has.

They brought out the best in him and showed him that anything is possible, even with a disability.

So a big thank you, thank you, thank you for everyone and everything that was done to make Sam’s life enjoyable at BSE.

I also would like to add the support from his fellow students was nothing but awesome, so thanks guys for being his buddies.

Anybody looking at schools for their children, I recommend BSE highly.

I was definitely apprehensive at first because of the size and amount of children, but that soon disappeared when I realised the passion all the staff had to made sure every student was made to feel welcomed and at home.

So once again thank you so much and in Sam’s words, “BSE rules”.

Belinda Buso, Strathfieldsaye

War of words on hospital

Despite Jacinta Allan’s desperate attempts to re-write history (“Labor deserves the credit”, Bendigo Advertiser, November 28), Bendigo residents will always know that the previous Labor government wanted an inferior, underfunded, poorly designed hospital spread across two sites.

Over $100 million in additional funding delivered by the Liberal Nationals has meant that the new Bendigo hospital is world class, on one site, with an integrated cancer centre, a mother and baby unit and 64 additional beds anticipating future needs.

The good news is, people in Bendigo will have a world-class hospital, but that is despite Jacinta Allan’s local scare campaigns and constant efforts to undermine the hospital build.

Mary Wooldridge, Shadow Minister for Health

Girls and boys must be taught that no means no

Regarding the story “Talking about consent” (Bendigo Advertiser, November 21), we need to teach girls and boys that no means no and enforce it on the spot.

Jane Caro says: “Really the approach should be, the girl says yes, not waiting until she says no, that you stop.”

Meaning what? I am confused. No means no.

I recall schools said they would teach children about sex, drinking and drugs – and what a mess we have now.

Unmarried mothers, suicides, violence, alcohol and drug abuse.

What does Ms Caro mean that “girls are confused about saying no”? What, don’t girls know what “no” means?

Also, what has Donald Trump got to do with women of Bendigo? Keep to the point. Our girls, our women – let us take personal responsibility.

I fail to see how Donald Trump affects violence on women and children.

Oh, and Ms Caro forgets violence on men. But that’s not the agenda is it?

Women being beaten don’t give a damn about Donald Trump. And neither do men!

Many women and men go back for another beating, a co-dependency thing.